Alabama's SEC record-tying win over Ole Miss sets up huge showdown
Alabama tied a long-standing SEC record on Wednesday night as it moved into a tie for first with Tennessee ahead of the teams' massive showdown on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.
The Tide defeated Ole Miss 103-88, their ninth 100-point game of the season, tying 1995-96 Kentucky for most in SEC history.
Senior guard Mark Sears led the way with 25 points as Associated Press No. 14 Alabama (20-8, 12-3 in SEC) overcame a slow start, scoring 80 over the final 24:38, including 64 in the second half to erase a deficit that grew to as big as 14 at one point.
Alabama leads the country in scoring (91.1 points per game entering Wednesday), with its three-point shooting a significant contributor to its prolific offense.
The Tide average the second-most threes per game (11.5) and made 15 on Wednesday, with a third of those coming from seldom-used freshman guard Davin Cosby Jr., who was 5-of-10 from deep, including a couple of massive shots as Alabama broke away in the second half.
Next up is a date with No. 4 Tennessee (22-6, 12-3 in SEC), which also won on Wednesday behind a 39-point effort from fifth-year senior guard Dalton Knecht.
Per Action Network, the teams are in a dead heat to win the SEC with Alabama (+110) listed as a slight favorite over Tennessee (+112).
The Volunteers handily won the first meeting between the two teams on Jan. 20, 91-71, holding the Tide to their lowest point total of the season.
However, Alabama's offense is clicking of late, averaging 95.8 points per game since that loss.
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